1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wild game feeders, which are used to spread food in order to entice and attract wild game animals, such as deer, to a specified geographical area, in order to create observational and gaming opportunities for hunters and/or wildlife enthusiasts.
2. Description of the Background Art
Wild game feeders, of several varieties and designs, are commercially available today, and are known to wild game hunters. Such known feeders generally include a bucket or similar container for holding particulate food therein, and a distributor for spreading food from the container over an area of ground.
For example, FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a wild game feeder 50, of a prior art type which is known and which is commercially available on the market today. The feeder 50 of FIG. 1 includes a reservoir 52 in the form of a bucket, with a central hole (not shown) formed in the base thereof, to allow aggregate food such as corn, commercial pellets or the like to pass through.
The reservoir 52 is provided with a removable lid 54 and a handle 60. A distributor 56, including an electric motor 57, is attached to the bucket base, to distribute the food after it passes outwardly from the bucket. Supports, such as legs 58, are also attached to the reservoir 52, to space it upwardly away from the ground.
Examples of previously issued patents relating to wild game feeders are given below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,220 discloses a game feeder that uses a distributor to spread food from a container. The distributor includes a spinning member that cuts excessively large food pieces down to smaller pieces, thereby allowing the game feed to be more easily distributed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,777 discloses a feeder that uses a distributor with a rotational plate in order to distribute the game food. The apparatus according to this invention is mounted on a single support leg, which is inserted into the ground to support the apparatus.
Other wild game feeders of this general type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,034,480, 3,195,508, 4,945,859, 5,143,289, 5,333,572, 6,082,300, 6,481,376, and 6,510,813.
A limited number of collapsible containers are separately known, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,837,860, 4,036,361, 4,290,468, 4,557,378, 4,693,386 and 5,190,179.
Some collapsible bird feeders are also known, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,479,881, 6,047,661 and 6,073,582.
Although the known devices are usable for their intended purposes, it would be advantageous if a wild game feeder apparatus could be made using a collapsible reservoir for the food. This would make the apparatus more convenient to store and ship, and would take up less space on a retail shelf, allowing retailers to store more units in a given area.